Includes all shelter expenses paid by households that own their dwellings, such as the mortgage payment and the costs of electricity, heat, water and other municipal services, property taxes and condominium fees.

Src: Statistics Canada, 2011 Federal Census

% of owner households spending 30% of more of total household income on shelter costs (2011):

East Kootenay (incl. Radium)

17%

Calgary CMA

20.2%

B.C.

23.8%

Vancouver CMA

27.6%

Src: Statistics Canada, 2011 Federal Census

Approximate annual household operation costs (2014) for an average re-sale home in Radium ($227,000) are as follows:

Property taxes1

$1398

Municipal water

$304

Municipal sewer

$202

Garbage

0

Propane (heating)2

$700

Electricity3

$1164

Phone (optional)

$500

Internet (optional)

$500

Total

$4138

Note: this calculation does not include condo fees. Condo fees most commonly (but does not apply to all buildings) cover your share of building insurance, maintenance, management fees, common area cleaning, reserve fund contributions, exterior maintenance, landscaping and snow removal, parking, heat and water. For e.g. in Radium, a representative 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo unit on the market in October, 2014 has a monthly condo fee of $365.

At first glance, B.C.’s fuel prices are higher than Alberta. B.C.’s fuel tax, implemented in 2008, covers most types of fuel use and carbon emissions. It started out low ($10 per tonne of carbon dioxide), then rose gradually to the current $30 per tonne, which works out to about 7 cents per litre of gas. “Revenue-neutral” by law, the policy requires equivalent cuts to other taxes. In practice, the province has cut $760-million more in income and other taxes than needed to offset carbon tax revenue.